What Is Phonetics?

Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Phonetics

Darrell Larsen

Linguistics 101

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Outline

1 What Is Phonetics?

2 Phonetic Transcription
Phonetic Alphabet
Transcription

3 Articulation of Sounds
Articulation of Consonants
Articulation of Vowels
Other Languages

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

What Is Phonetics?

Definition
the study of speech sounds

The Branches of Phonetics

1 acoustic (the physics of sound)
2 auditory (how the ear processes sound)
3 articulatory (how we produce speech sounds)

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Articulatory Phonetics

We will examine the following questions:

How can we accurately transcribe speech sounds?
What speech organs are involved in speech production?
How do we manipulate the flow of air to produce sounds?

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

Linguists use a phonetic transcription system to record speech

sounds.
In this class, we will use the International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA)

Question
Why not just use the Roman alphabet?

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

English Czech
hci [k] hci [ts]
cat co what
cord Vaclav (name)
cup tricet thirty

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

hai ball hti tall

sand stop
make later
patience
train

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

heai health hcki back

wealth bucket
stealth cracked

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

hei late hhi hour hki knee

science blah blah blah knife

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Why Do We Need a Phonetic Alphabet?

English Vowel Letters English Vowel Sounds

ha, e, i, o, ui beat bit bought
bet boot bull
but bulemic bog
*bird
bow bout bide
bike boy bate
boat

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

About the IPA

Contains symbols to represent all sounds from all languages

1-to-1 correspondence between sounds and symbols
Includes diacritics to indicate tone, stress, etc.
Many symbols from or based on Latin and Greek alphabets
Not the only phonetic alphabet in use

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

IPA Pulmonic Consonant Chart

Full IPA chart available at: http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/IPA chart (C)2005.pdf

*Note that Language Files has slightly different categories in some cases. We will follow the book.

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Transcription Examples

Transcriptions
ways [weIz] Sprite [spAIt] that [Dt]
achieve [@tSiv] energetic [EndZER@k] spelling [spElIN]
use [jus] cowboy "
[kh AUbOI] pudding [ph URIN]

Free Variation
In some instances, there can be some variation in the
pronunciation.
cat [kh t] or [kh t^] or [kh P]

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Aspiration

Some English sounds are aspirated in certain environments.

Transcriptions
pet [ph Et] tea [th i] cat [kh t]
bet [bEt] deep [dip] gift [gIft]
spot [spAt] stuck [st2k] scar [skA]
whip [wIp] sat [st] beak [bik]

Question
Which sounds in English can be aspirated?
What do these sounds have in common?
In which phonetic environment(s) are these sounds aspirated?

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Flapping

What we spell with hti, htti, hdi, hddi is often not [t] or [d],
but rather the flap [R]

Question
In which phonetic environment(s) does the flap appear?

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Transcription Notes

Phonetic transcriptions are written in square brackets [ ].

Transcribe words based on sound, not spelling.
Dont use a schwa ([@]) in stressed syllables.
Upper- and lowercase letters are not interchangeable.
Some morphemes, like past tense -ed, are not always
pronounced the same.
When a syllable lacks a vowel, be sure to use a syllable marker
(e.g. kitten [kh IPn])
"

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics?
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic Transcription
Transcription
Articulation of Sounds

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

How Consonants Are Articulated

The articulation of consonants involves the complete or partial

constriction of airflow within the vocal tract.

Distinguishing Features of English Consonants

1 place of articulation (place of airflow obstruction)
2 manner of articulation (manner of airflow obstruction)
3 voicing (vibration/nonvibration of vocal cords)

Charts are available on the back cover or your book. Be sure to note the additions I make.

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Places of Articulation

Source: [Bergmann et al., 2007, p. 49] Source: [Ladefoged & Maddieson, 1996, p. 13]

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Places of Articulation

Places of Articulation Used in English

1 bilabial

2 labiodental
3 interdental
4 alveolar
5 postalveolar
6 palatal
7 velar
8 glottal

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Manners of Articulation

Manners of Articulation Used in English

1 plosive (= stop)

2 fricative
3 affricate
4 flap *(add this row to your books chart!)

5 nasal
6 liquid (lateral and retroflex)
7 glide

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Voicing

Voicing Parameters Used in English

1 voiced (vibration)
2 voiceless (no vibration)

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

How Vowels Are Articulated

Vowels are produced with a relatively open vocal tract, lacking

any significant constriction.

Distinguishing Features of English Vowels

1 height

2 tongue advancement
3 tenseness

Additional Vowel Features

lip rounding

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Height

Refers to the relative height

of the relevant part of the
tongue
Vowels may be:
1 high
2 mid
3 low

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Tongue Advancement

Refers to relative advancement of the tongue body

Vowels may be:
1 front
2 central
3 back

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Tenseness

Refers to relative tenseness of the lip and/or tongue muscles

Vowels may be:
1 tense
2 lax

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Lip Rounding

Refers to whether the lips are rounded or unrounded

Vowels may be:
1 rounded
2 unrounded
English has rounded and unrounded vowels, but lip rounding is
not a distinguishing feature in English.

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Monophthongs

Monophthongs are simple vowel sounds.

Excluding [e] and [o], American English contains the following
monophthongs:

(Add [e] and [o] to your books chart. You will need to know their features.)

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Diphthongs

Monophthongs are complex vowel sounds, transitioning from

one vowel to another.
American English contains the following diphthongs:

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

A Note on Other Languages

The set of distinctions listed above is not comprehensive.

The distinctions found in English are not relevant in all
languages. For example,
Spanish and Korean have no tenseness distinction for vowels
Japanese and Korean have no labiodental consonants
Other languages may have distinctions that English lacks. For
example,
lip rounding is distinctive for vowels in French and German
Vietnamese contains implosive consonants
Khoisan languages (spoken in southern Africa) contain clicks
Chinese and Thai contain tones

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

 What Is Phonetics? Articulation of Consonants
Phonetic Transcription Articulation of Vowels
Articulation of Sounds Other Languages

Notes

Darrell Larsen Phonetics

References I

Bergmann, Anouschka, Kathleen Currie Hall, &

Sharon Miriam Ross, eds. (2007) Language Files: Materials for
an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Columbus: The
Ohio State University Press, 10 ed.
Ladefoged, Peter & Ian Maddieson (1996) The Sounds of the
Worlds Languages. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Darrell Larsen Phonetics